Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-11-14
RATS, CATS AND SNAKES.
SOME OF THE SUGGESTIONS BE
IlEyeD BY THE COREANS.

liEVED BY THE COReANS.
Difference Paid to Reptiles-Tabby Not
Held In High Esteem-Rodents Exceed
fnsly TroubIesome--The Legend Of the
Farmer and the Snake.
Corean houses are usually more than sup
piled with rats They gambol about on the
paper ceilings, if the room is supplied with
ceiling, if not they burrow in the mass OF
mud and mortar between the rafters and the
tile, In case the room is furnished with
ceiling the rats become very disagreeable in
deed. for the thick paper is like drumhead,
and being made up of several layers held to-
getber by rice paste the rats pull up strips of
this paper and eat it. The noise is like that
of an amateur brass band, and never fails TO
arouse q foreigner from the soundest slumber,
be he ever so used to it, while upon the
new conner the effect is quite exaggerated
BY a species of drum practice upon this drum
head ceiling the rats may be so frightened
that they will stay away for the rest of the
night
The natives do not like rats, and endeavor in
various WAYS to get rid of them, as, for in
stance, by placing written character on the
ceiling or many characters at times, under
the popular supposition that rats, like people,
20 respect the written characters that they will
not desecrate it by walking over it, Some
rats, however, are said to be like some people,
and the charm does not always work satisfac-
torily.
FREEDOM FOR SNAKES.
Snakes are allowed free liberty in and upon
a Corean house They usually live in burrows
in the mud under the tiles. These burrows
are doubtless used by the rats during the win
ter time, and they are noticeably absent dur
ing the summer, after the proper occupants
have thawed out Tho snakes doubtless make
II lively for the rats, but their principal food
Is the eggs and young Of the swallows, which
live under the caves One can always tell
when the snake is visible by the excited chat
tering Of the birds. Hundreds of them con-
gregate about where he may besunning him
self on the hot tiles, and jabser away at him
with all their might. Others fly away and
enlist the services of the impudent magpies,
who come screaming in their shrill tones and
give Mr. Snake a sharp dig in some unpro-
u
Of the encounter and runs TO cover.
The people will not kill the snakes; they
have superstition based on fear They trace
II back TO a story concerning a man who
killed poisonous snake and afterward was
killed, together with bis whole family, by the
mate Of the dead reptile. The house snakes
are some three feet in length, fat, lazy and
practically harmless.
One cannot help but note the absence OF
cats In Corea, and as the rats become more
and more troublesome an occasional feline
serenade becomes an appreciated favor. Cat.
are sometimes kept, but they are seldom seen
while dogs are everywhere and weasels are
not rarity. The latter are always wild and
confine their raids mostly TO chickens
The cat is considered an uncanny anima
and never occupies the place it does in &
European household The superstition con
corning the cat is also traced back to story
and Is as harmful TO the descendants of tn,
hero Tor heroine) of the story as it was bene
fetal In the case of the snake.
A LEGENDARY TALE
1t is reported that once upon time
farmer working in the field felt sense o
vacuity which frequent tightening of hi
bslt would not relieve. He went on till h
could wait no longer, and from wonderin,
why his spouse had not brought him his Gus
tomary meal he worked himself up into
rage at her negligence. He decided to &
and investigate the matter, and on the wa,
be took the precaution Of selecting a goo
club for any necessary use such as clubs ma,
be put to- Searching his house, he espied hi
wife lying on a mat with her baby in he
arms, apparently both asleep. "Ah hal" b
cried, ''this is the way you loiter aroun,
while work in the field till my belly ha
vanished. I'll teach you a thing or two
With which he struck her sound blow
which only resulted in jolting the babe iron
the breast and disclosing drop of bloc
where milk should have been.
The enraged farmer was startled Fl
forgot his anger as he saw that his littl
family lay dead before him He went to e1
amining the apartment and under chest b
found lot of blood and the half of snake
with cat still eating at the living head an
upper portion of the body The snakes hea
still jumped about and the fangs darted ou
keeping the cat busy to keep out of the way
Bu the jumping head had struck the sleepin
mother and the deadly fangs had pierced be
flesh, sending the poisoned blood into til
nursing infant killing them both Sine
that time cats are not kept in the country
and are but seldom seen in the cities. Whe
seen they appear wild and run as if afraid q
their hves.-"H n An in San Francisc
Chronicle